


my heart still can dream

by wishingswell



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Christmas Eve, Exes, M/M, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:26:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22147597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wishingswell/pseuds/wishingswell
Summary: it's been years since younghyun's seen jae, so of course he runs into him in a crowded supermarket on christmas eve. of course.
Relationships: Kang Younghyun | Young K/Park Jaehyung | Jae
Comments: 10
Kudos: 84





	my heart still can dream

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mworadeno](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mworadeno/gifts).

> this took me ages and is pretty short and sweet but @mworadeno i hope you enjoy it anyway!!! merry belated christmas~
> 
> un-beta'd as of posting and title from grown up christmas list

younghyun hums along absentmindedly to the pop christmas song playing, listening to the rattle of the broken wheel on his grocery cart as he makes his way down the snack aisle. the store is about as busy as one can expect for christmas eve, plenty of people dropping in for last minute groceries before heading home to their families. younghyun can’t help the tight feeling in his chest when he sees couples or parents with their children—it would be nice, he thinks, to not be alone tonight.

it’s his own fault, he can acknowledge that much. younghyun made the choice to move to california by himself, leaving behind his parents in korea and all his friends in toronto. he did it for the opportunities and so far it’s been worth it—he's been able to sell more songs than he ever has before. right about now, though, he’s questioning his decisions, staring deep into the eyes of captain crunch on christmas eve. 

younghyun’s introspection is interrupted by the happy squeal of a child just down the aisle, and he can’t help but look over to see what’s going on. 

the child’s father has his back to younghyun, but the kid in question is facing him, sitting in the child’s seat of his father’s cart as he happily pulls a box of coco puffs off the shelf.

“just one box,” the father warns when the kid goes for another, and for just a moment, younghyun’s heart drops to his feet. 

his voice has gotten deeper, vocal chords stiffening with age, but it's still unmistakeable in the tone, the tenor, the lazy slur of the words proof of years growing up in long beach. really, younghyun should have known something like this would happen when he moved. for how big southern california is supposed to be, it's really not all that large at all. 

younghyun quickly turns back to his cereal and just stands there for a moment, shell-shocked and unwilling (or maybe unable) to move. the child (jae's _ son,_ younghyun's brain supplies helpfully) is wheedling, but jae shuts him down, though not unkindly. then younghyun hears the rattle of wheels and turns on impulse to steal a glance.

it's a mistake. jae looks up from the toddler in front of him and his eyes lock with younghyun's, and then younghyun knows it's too late to go back because jae was always a dog with a bone and he doubts all that much has changed in the last ten years or so. 

"brian?" jae asks, and the sound of his english name sends a pang through younghyun's chest, only compounded by the fact that it's coming out of jae's mouth. his voice lifts on the end in a question, but before younghyun can even react a smile is spreading across jae’s face.

“what are you doing here, man?” he asks, sounding like he’s on the edge of disbelieving laughter. 

“groceries,” younghyun answers lamely, because his brain is still doing it’s best to process all of this. luckily, jae takes it in stride and finally lets out a laugh.

“man i thought you were still living in toronto. when’d you move to california?” he asks, smile never faltering.

“two years ago,” younghyun replies, trying to not sigh in relief when he answers decently this time. “canada was too cold.”

jae snorts. “i knew you’d see sense eventually. everything’s better when you can go to the beach in december, right?”

“right,” younghyun agrees weakly.

“jaeee.” a small voice comes from the cart, and younghyun is immediately reminded that there is a child present to witness their awkward reunion.

“my bad.” jae laughs again, and the sound makes younghyun’s knees weak. “jisung, this is an old friend of mine, younghyun.”

younghyun’s relieved he didn’t say “old boyfriend”. “nice to meet you,” younghyun says, waving as the kid turns to get a better look at him. “i used to know jae—your dad—a long time ago.”

jae barks out a laugh, and jisung’s nose wrinkles. “he’s not my dad, he’s my uncle. dad is at home with mom and jisoo.”

“oh?” younghyun looks back up to jae, who smiles sheepishly. he hopes he doesn’t look too relieved—it’s one less sign that jae’s completely moved on without him.

“no kids here,” he says. “still single. i’m just at my sister’s house for christmas and said i’d take jisung shopping with me so he could get away from his sister for a little while.”

“that’s nice,” younghyun offers, quickly clarifying. “that you’re spending christmas with your family, i mean.”

“what about you?” jae asks. “your parents in town?”

“nah,” younghyun shakes his head. “they’re back in korea now.”

“friends?” jae prods, and younghyun considers lying before he just shakes his head again.

“just me this year.” he purses his lips, ready for the sad pity smile, but he should have known better—that was never jae’s style.

jae, to his credit, just shakes his head. “nah man. come home with us, i’m not letting you have another sad christmas alone with your grape juice.”

younghyun snorts. “you remember that?” it was his junior year of college—jae had returned to LA for the break, leaving younghyun behind in toronto. in between sappy goodbye kisses, jae must have asked younghyun if he was sure he wanted to stay behind a thousand times, but they were still a new couple and younghyun hadn’t felt up to meeting the family yet. thinking about it now, he should have just taken the opportunity since it never came again, but hindsight is always 20/20. 

“how could i forget? you sent me a picture of you on the couch watching shrek. i think i still have it somewhere,” jae replies, amused at first before his expression turns more earnest. “but seriously. come for dinner tonight, at least. my sister would kill to meet you. and you can play with jisung and jisoo! i know how much you love kids.”

jisung perks up again at the mention of his name. “is he gonna come to our house?” he asks jae, who just looks at younghyun with his best wide puppy dog eyes. 

“okay,” younghyun finds himself saying before he’s even really aware of it, and jae’s face lights up immediately. 

jisung, to his credit, cheers despite literally having met younghyun five minutes ago, and younghyun is easily charmed by his bright smile. when he smiles he looks a bit like jae, so younghyun can only assume that comes from his mom’s side of the family. 

“awesome, man. let’s just finish up here and then we can head back and introduce you to everyone! unless you have anything you wanted to get from home first.” jae cocks his head to the side, a habit younghyun had long forgotten. 

younghyun finds himself biting his lip self consciously. “well i could try and grab some gifts for your family—”

jae makes a noise of surprise. “no, man, your presence is the gift. no need to worry. just come and eat food and play with some adorable kids, that’s all you need to worry about.”

“okay,” younghyun repeats, and jae smiles again. 

“okay.” he echoes. 

jisung gets more and more excited as the trio make their way to the checkout, telling younghyun all about the toys he has at his house and his little sister jisoo and how his mom was gonna let him open one present on christmas eve. jae seems used to the babbling, which doesn’t shock younghyun considering jae isn’t much different. he tells him as much, which makes jae laugh.

“you always liked my babbling though,” he says, and younghyun hums.

“yeah, i did,” he answers. “still do, actually.”

“oh?” jae’s eyebrows raise, and he goes from confident to flustered in what seems like a split second. younghyun likes that about him too. “maybe we should see if there’s anything else you still like about me.”

“it might be hard, but i’m sure we can find something,” younghyun teases, and jae gasps in mock offense.

“i was getting ready to say i bet there’s a lot i still like about you too, but i’m revoking any and all compliments now,” he says. 

younghyun pauses, snagging a box of brownie mix off the shelf and laying it gently in their now shared cart. “but if you _ were _ going to compliment me, what would you say?”

“well i was _ going _ to say that early thirties looks good on you, but i’m not sure about that now. your good looks have been ruined by your hurtful words.”

“but you still think i look good,” younghyun points out, and jae rolls his eyes.

“can we continue this when my nephew isn’t present?” he asks, and younghyun shrugs.

“he’s distracted,” he replies, inclining his head towards where jisung has busied himself reading the recipe off the back of the brownie mix box under his breath.

jae clears his throat. “later, okay?” 

younghyun can’t help but soften. “okay,” he agrees. “we’ll talk later. is this all we need?” he asks, gesturing to their fairly full cart.

jae nods. “that’s everything my sister said, plus some extra stuff. we should be good.”

jae tries to pay at checkout, but younghyun elbows him backwards and shoves his card into the chip reader, ignoring jae's sputters of protest. "it's the least i can do," he says, fixing jae with a look. jae just rolls his eyes again.

"always the martyr, huh? good to see that didn't change either." ten years ago, when they were together, that would have stung, but jae smiles as he says it and younghyun knows it's not a dig at him, not really. 

jisung, no longer distracted by the box of brownie mix, tugs on jae's sleeve and asks what "martyr" means, and younghyun has to stifle his laughter in his palm. 

jisung also insists on carrying at least one grocery item to the car, so jae hands him back the brownie mix and lets him lead the way out of the store and to their car in the parking lot. 

as they're walking, younghyun feels the need to break the silence. "thank you," he says. "for inviting me."

jae blows out a puff of air. "don't worry about it man. our pleasure. or mine, anyway, and that's what matters."

younghyun can't help but laugh. "seriously though," he continues. "we haven't spoken in ages and i don't even know what terms we ended on so--"

jae stops, briefly glancing to make sure jisung isn't too far away. "i don't care what kind of terms we ended on, okay? you're family to me. you've always been family. now stop overthinking and come load my damn car so we can all go home and eat."

with that he tugs younghyun along, long strides quickly catching up to jisung who only made it a few feet ahead of them.

"okay," younghyun says, because that's all he can say. "okay."

and it will be. somehow, younghyun knows that it will be. 

**Author's Note:**

> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/bribeombot)


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